Gene Vincent
only had one really big hit, "Be-Bop-a-Lula," which epitomized rockabilly at its
prime in 1956 with its sharp guitar breaks, spare snare drums, fluttering echo,
and Vincent's breathless, sexy vocals. Yet his place as one of the great early
rock & roll singers is secure, backed up by a wealth of fine smaller hits and
non-hits that rate among the best rockabilly of all time. The leather-clad,
limping, greasy-haired singer was also one of rock's original bad boys, lionized
by romanticists of past and present generations attracted to his primitive,
sometimes savage style and indomitable spirit.
Vincent was bucking the odds by entering professional music in the first place.
As a 20-year-old in the Navy, he suffered a severe motorcycle accident that
almost resulted in the amputation of his leg, and left him with a permanent limp
and considerable chronic pain for the rest of his life. After the accident he
began to concentrate on building a musical career, playing with country bands
around the Norfolk, VA, area. Demos cut at a local radio station, fronting a
band assembled around Gene by his management, landed Gene Vincent & the Blue
Caps a contract at Capitol, which hoped they'd found competition for
Elvis Presley.
Indeed it had, as by this time Vincent had plunged into all-out rockabilly,
capable of both fast-paced exuberance and whispery, almost sensitive ballads.
The Blue Caps were one of the greatest
rock bands of the '50s, anchored at first by the stunning silvery, faster-than-light
guitar leads of Cliff Gallup. The slap-back echo of "Be-Bop-a-Lula," combined
with Gene's swooping vocals, led many to mistake the singer for
Elvis when the record first hit the
airwaves in mid-1956, on its way to the Top Ten. The
Elvis comparison wasn't entirely fair;
Vincent had a gentler, less melodramatic style, capable of both whipping up a
storm or winding down to a hush.
Brilliant follow-ups like "Race With the Devil," "Bluejean Bop," and "B-I-Bickey,
Bi, Bo-Bo-Go" failed to click in nearly as big a way, although these too are
emblematic of rockabilly at its most exuberant and powerful. By the end of 1956,
the Blue Caps were beginning to undergo
the first of constant personnel changes that would continue throughout the '50s,
the most crucial loss being the departure of Gallup. The 35 or so tracks he cut
with the band — many of which showed up only on albums or b-sides — were
unquestionably Vincent's greatest work, as his subsequent recordings would never
again capture their pristine clarity and uninhibited spontaneity.
Vincent had his second and final Top Twenty hit in 1957 with "Lotta Lovin',"
which reflected his increasingly tamer approach to production and vocals, the
wildness and live atmosphere toned down in favor of poppier material, more
subdued guitars, and conventional-sounding backup singers. He recorded often for
Capitol throughout the rest of the '50s, and it's unfair to dismiss those sides
out of hand; they were respectable, occasionally exciting rockabilly, only a
marked disappointment in comparison with his earliest work. His act was captured
for posterity in one of the best scenes of one of the first Hollywood films to
feature rock & roll stars, The Girl Can't Help It.
Live, Vincent continued to rock the house with reckless intensity and
showmanship, and he became particularly popular overseas. A 1960 tour of Britain,
though, brought tragedy when his friend
Eddie Cochran, who shared the bill on Vincent's U.K. shows, died in a car
accident that he was also involved in, though Vincent survived. By the early
'60s, his recordings had become much more sporadic and lower in quality, and his
chief audience was in Europe, particularly in England (where he lived for a
while) and France.
His Capitol contract expired in 1963, and he spent the rest of his life
recording for several other labels, none of which got him close to that comeback
hit. Vincent never stopped trying to resurrect his career, appearing at a 1969
Toronto rock festival on the same bill as John Lennon, though his medical,
drinking, and marital problems were making his life a mess, and diminishing his
stage presence as well. He died at the age of 36 from a ruptured stomach ulcer,
one of rock's first mythic figures.

A GENE VINCENT RECORD DATE - Five Feet Of Lovin' / The Wayward Wind / Somebody Help Me / Keep It A Secret / Hey Good Lookin' / Git It / Teenage Partner / Peace Of Mind / Look What You Gone And Done To Me / Summertime / I Can't Help It / I Love You

SOUNDS LIKE GENE VINCENT - My Baby Don't Low / I Can't Believe You Want To Leave / I Might Have Know / In Love Again / You Are The One For Me / Ready Teddy / I Got To Get To You Yet / Vincent's Blues / Maybe / Now Is The Hour / My Heart / Maybelline

A ROCKIN' DATE WITH GENE VINCENT - Well I Knocked Bim Bam / You Better Believe / Peace Of Mind / I Got To Get To You Yet / Summertime / Who Slapped John ? / I Flipped / Cruisin' / You Are The One For Me / I Might Have Know / I Can't Help It / Pink Thunderbird

THE BEST OF GENE VINCENT - VOL. 2 - Bi-I-Bickey-Bi
Bo Bo Go/ Frankie And Johnny / The Night Is So Lonely / Git It / Yes, I Love
You Baby / Walkin’ Home From School / I Got It / Crazy Legs / I’m Going Home
(To See My Baby) / Five Days, Five Days / True To You / Right Now / Well, I
Knocked Bim Bam / Over The Rainbow / Race With The Devil / Be-Bop-A-Lula

GENE VINCENT (IF YOU
COULD ONLY SEE ME TODAY) - Slow Times Comin' / Sunshine / I Need Woman's Love / Douce Colinda / Geese / 500 Miles / Listen To The Music / If Only You Could See Me Today / A Million Shade Of Blue / Tush Dog

THE DAY THE WORLD TURNED BLUE - How I Love Them Old Songs / High On Life / North Carolina Line / You Can Make It If You Try / Our Souls / Looking Back / The Day The World Turned Blue / Boppin' The Blues / There Is Something On Your Mind / Oh Lonesome Me / The Woman Is Black

MEMORIAL ALBUM - Slow Times Comin' / The Day The World Turned Blue / Oh Lonesome Me / Geese / I Need Woman's Love / How I Love Them Old Songs / Boppin' The Blues / There Is Something On Your Mind / Our Souls / North Carolina Line / The Woman Is Black

STORY - 1959 - VOL. 3 - Say Mama / Over The Rainbow / My Heart / My Baby Don't Now / I Can't Believe You Want To Leave / Little Lover / Vincent's Blues / Maybelline / Ready Teddy / I Got To Get To You Get / I Might Have Know / Maybe / In Love Again / Now Is The Hour / You Are The One For Me / Lotta
Lovin'

STORY - A TRIBUTE TO MY BEST FRIEND - VOL. 6 -
Beautiful Brown Eyes / Teenage Partner [1956] / Five Feet Of Lovin’ [1956] /
Important Words / Spaceship To Mars / If You Want My Loving / Walking Home
From School / Who Is Pushing Your Swing / Held For Questioning / You Are
Still In My Heart / I’m Going Home To See My Baby / Be Bop Boogie Boy /
Right Now / Wild Cat / Mister Loneliness / Be Bop A Lula [62]

LES PLUS GRANDS NOMS DU ROCK - BE BOP A LULA - The King Of Fools / Where Have You Been All My Life / Love 'em And Leave 'em Kinda Guy / The Beginning Of The End / La-Den-Da-Den-Da-Da / Space Ship To Mars / Be Bop A Lula / You're Still In My Heart / Held For Questioning / There I Go Again / Humpity Dumpity / Temptation Baby

BORN TO BE A ROLLING STONE - Hurtin' For
You Baby / I'm A Lonesome Fugitive / Born To Be A Rolling Stone / Hi Lili,
Hi Lo / Poor Man's Prison / Words And Music / Bird Doggin' / I've Got My
Eyes On You / Love Is A Bird / Ain't That Too Much / Lonely Street / Am I
That Easy To Forget?

BORN TO BE A ROLLING STONE - Hurtin' For
You Baby / I'm A Lonesome Fugitive / Born To Be A Rolling Stone / Hi Lili,
Hi Lo / Poor Man's Prison / Words And Music / Bird Doggin' / I've Got My
Eyes On You / Love Is A Bird / Ain't That Too Much / Lonely Street / Am I
That Easy To Forget?

DISC 5 : Baby Blue / Walkin' Home
From School / It's No Lie / Your Cheatin' Heart / Frankie And Johnny
/ Should I Ever Love Again / Flea Brain / Brand New Beat / Yes I
Love You Baby / Keep It A Secret / You Belong To Me / You'll Never
Walk Alone / By The Light Of The Silvery Moon / Right Now / I Got A
Baby

DISC 6 : Git It / Dance In The
Street / Lovely Loretta / I Love You / Teenage Partner / (You Gave
Me) Peace Of Mind / Little Lover / Rocky Road Blues / Somebody Help
Me / Five Feet Of Lovin' / Look What You Gone And Done To Me / Hey
Good Lookin' / I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) /
Summertime / Now Is The Hour / The Wayward Wind

DISC 7 : Lonesome Boy / You Are The
One For Me / Maybe / My Heart / I Got To Get You Yet / The Night Is
So Lonely / Beautiful Brown Eyes / Rip It Up / Maybelline / High
Blood Pressure

INTO THE SEVENTIES - Sunshine / I Need A
Woman's Love / Slow Times Comin' / Danse Colinda / Geese / 500 Miles Away
From Home / Listen To The Music / If Only You Coulds See Me Today / A
Million Shades Of Blue / Tush Hog / How I Love Them Old Songs / High On Life
/ North Carolina Line / You Can Make It If You Try / Our Souls / There Is
Something On Your Mind / The Day The World Turned Blue / Boppin' The Blues /
Looking Back / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Woman In Black

AM I THAT EASY TO FORGET ? - Hurtin' For
You Baby / I'm A Lonesome Fugitive / Born To Be A Rolling Stone / Hi-Lili,
Hi-Lo / Poor Man's Prison / Words And Music / Bird Doggin' / I've Got My
Eyes On You / Love Is A Bird / Ain't That Too Much / Lonely Street / Am I
That Easy To Forget?

BE BOP A LULA - Be-Bop-A-Lula / Rocky Road
Blues / Baby Blue / Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On / The Day The World Turned
Blue / Story Of The Rockers / Ain't That Too Much / Lonely Street / Born To
Be A Rolling Stone / Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo

500 MILES - Oh Lonesome Me / The Woman In
Black / 500 Miles / The Day The World Turned Blue / Boppin' The Blues / How
I Love Them Old Songs / Listen To The Music / If Only You Could See Me Today
/ A Million Shades Of Blue / Sunshine / I Need A Woman's Love / High On Life
/ Our Souls / You Can Make It If You Try / Geese / Slow Times Comin' / There
Is Something On Your Mind / Looking Back / Danse Colinda / North Carolina
Line / Tush Hog

CD 1 :
Brand New Beat /
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon /
You'll Never Walk Alone /
Frankie And Johnny /
In My Dreams /
Flea Brain /
Rollin' Danny /
You Belong To Me /
Your Cheatin' Heart /
Time Will Bring You Everything /
Should I Ever Love Again /
It's No Lie /
Five Feet Of Lovin' /
The Wayward Wind /
Somebody Help Me /
Keep It A Secret /
Hey, Good Lookin' /
Git It /
Teenage Partner /
Peace Of Mind /
Look What You Gone And Done To Me /
Summertime /
I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) /
I Love You /
Be-Bop-A-Lula /
Race With The Devil

CD 8 : Sunshine / I Need Woman's Love / Slow Times Comin' /
Danse Colinda / Geese / 500 Miles Away From Home / Listen To The
Music / If Only You Could See Me Today / A Million Shades Of Blues /
Tush Hog / How I Love Them Old Songs / High On Life / You Can Make
It If You Try / There Is Something On Your Mind / North Carolina
Line / Our Souls / Oh Lonesome Me / Boppin' The Blues / The Day The
World Turned Blue / The Woman In Black / Looking Back / Say Mama '71
/ I'm Movin' On

A MILLION SHADES OF BLUE -
Sunshine / I Need Woman's Love / Slow Times Comin' / Danse
Colinda / Geese / 500 Miles / Listen To The Music / If Only You Could See Me
Today / A Million Shades Of Blue / Tush Hog / How I Love Them Old Songs /
High On Life / North Carolina Line / You Can Make It If You Try / Our Souls
/ There Is Something On Your Mind / The Day The World Turned Blue / Boppin'
The Blues / Looking Back / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Woman In Black

CD 1 : Five feet of
lovin' / Somebody Help Me / Look
what you gone and done to
me / Hey Good Lookin'/ I Can't Help It
(If I'm Still In Love With You) /
Summertime / Now is the
hour / The Wayward Wind / Lonesome Boy / You Are The One For
Me / Maybe / My Heart / I
got to get you yet / The Night Is So Lonely / Beautiful Brown
Eyes / Rip It Up / Maybellene / High Blood Pressure / Be Bop
Boogie Boy / In Love Again / I Can't Believe You Wanna Leave / Who's
pushing your swing /
Gone Gone Gone / Anna Annabelle

GENE VINCENT A TOWN HALL PARTY - 1958 - 1959 - Be-Bop-A-Lula / High
Blood Pressure / Rip It Up / Dance To The Bop / You Win Again / For You
Precious Love / High School Confidential / Rocky Road Blues / Pretty Pearly
/ She She Little Sheila / Roll Over Beethoven / Over The Rainbow